| Erla 5 | |
|---|---|
 The Erla 5 prototype, D-2378 | |
| General information | |
| Type | Sport aircraft |
| National origin | Germany |
| Manufacturer | Erla |
| Designer | Franz Mehr |
| History | |
| First flight | 18 July 1932 |
The Erla 5 (originally, Erla Me 5) was a light, single-seat sport aircraft built in small numbers in Germany in the early 1930s.123 A trainer version was demonstrated on long-distance flights in 1939,4 but failed to attract orders.15
Design
The Erla 5 was designed by Franz Mehr.6 It was a low-wing, cantilever monoplane123 of conventional configuration.23 It had fixed, tailskid undercarriage,123 and a conventional tail.23 Power was supplied by a piston engine in the nose driving a tractor propeller.23 The pilot sat in an open cockpit.23 The wings were detachable and the aircraft was designed to be towed by road.73 Construction was of wood throughout, and covered in plywood except for the fabric-covered control surfaces.123 It was capable of aerobatics.3
Contemporary publications referred to it as a Volksflugzeug ("people's aircraft" in German).8 The price in 1935 was 3,875 Reichsmarks9 (about €20,150 in 202410).
Operational history
The Erla 5 prototype first flew on 18 July 1932.11
Between 1 April and 20 May 1939, Friedrich Aufermann made a three-continent flight in an Erla 5, from Europe to Asia, Africa, and back again, covering around 20,000 kilometres (12,000 mi).12 On 2 August, Heinz Gabler set a class distance record in an Erla 5, flying from Friedrichshafen to Vännäs, 1,915 kilometres (1,190 miles).13
As of 2020, one Erla 5 was still preserved in flying condition, a privately owned example in Switzerland, registered HB-SEX.14
Variants
- Erla Me 5
- Erla Me 5a
- Erla Me 5b
- Erla Me 5c
- Erla 5D
Specifications (variant)
Data from Grey & Bridgman 1935, p.172
General characteristics
- Crew: 1
- Length: 6.20 m (20 ft 4 in)
- Wingspan: 11.00 m (36 ft 1 in)
- Height: 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)
- Wing area: 13.7 m2 (147 sq ft)
- Empty weight: 220 kg (485 lb)
- Gross weight: 340 kg (750 lb)
- Powerplant: 1 × DKW liquid-cooled, two-cylinder, horizontally opposed engine, 15 kW (20 hp)
Performance
- Maximum speed: 125 km/h (78 mph, 67 kn)
- Range: 400 km (250 mi, 220 nmi)
- Service ceiling: 3,500 m (11,500 ft)
- Time to altitude: 1,000 metres (3,300 ft) in 9 minutes
Notes
Notes
References
- The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft 1983, p.1615.
- Grey & Bridgman 1935, p.171
- L'avion de sport et de tourisme D.K.W. Erla Me 5 a (Allemagne) 1933, p.277
- Seifert 2011, p.106–12
- Seifert 2011, p.112
- Seifert 2011, p.28
- Seifert 2011, p.36
- Seifert 2011, p.31–33
- Grey & Bridgman 1935, p.172
- Kaufkraftäquivalente historischer Beträge in deutschen Währungen 2025
- Seifert 2011, p.31
- Seifert 2011, p.110
- Seifert 2011, p.111
- Die HB-SEX fliegt wieder 2020
Bibliography
- "L'avion de sport et de tourisme D.K.W. Erla Me 5 a (Allemagne)" [The DKW Erla Me 5a sport and tourism aeroplane (Germany)]. L'Aérophile [The Aerophile] (in French). Vol. 41, no. 9. Paris: L'Aérophile. September 1933. p. 277.
- Grey, C.G.; Bridgman, Leonard (1935). Jane's All the World's Aircraft 1935. London: Sampson Low Marston.
- "Die HB-SEX fliegt wieder" [The HB-SEX is flying again]. Cockpit (in German). Schinznach-Bad: SAMedia. 16 November 2020. Retrieved 8 May 2025.
- The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft. London: Aerospace Publishing.
- "Kaufkraftäquivalente historischer Beträge in deutschen Währungen" [Purchasing power equivalents of historical amounts in German currencies] (PDF) (in German). Frankfurt am Main: Deutsche Bundesbank. January 2025. Retrieved 8 May 2025.
- Seifert, Karl-Dieter (2011). DKW und die Erla Me-Flugzeug [DKW and the Erla Me(hr) Aeroplanes] (in German). Erfurt: Sutton Verlag.